Re: Flytrap cultivation info

Robert Allen (Robert.Allen@Eng.Sun.COM)
Fri, 18 Feb 1994 09:41:42 +0800

>>> Make sure and use good quality peat moss WITHOUT
>>> any additives such as fertilizers. DO NOT use Hyponex brand.
>>
>> I suppose this implies Hyponex Peat Moss is not pure, plain peat? I
>>looked on the bag (yes, *gasp*, I happen to be using Hyponex), but found no
>>mention of "enhancements". If companies don't advertise things like this,
>>how can I trust any of them, let alone Hyponex?

All I can say about Hyponex is that I and others have had
very bad results with it. I don't recall it listing any
adulterants either, but if you compare Hyponex with, say,
Sunshine pure Canadian spaghnum, the two materials are as
different as night & day. You also may find that the
adulterants (if any) are not mentioned in the list of
ingredients, but are mentioned on the bag somewhere. I
recently had this experience with some seed starter I
was thinking of getting. It listed peat moss, perlite,
sand, and vermiculite on the ingred. list. Then while
reading the bag of the bag, I read a sentence that said
that fertilizers had been added!

If hyponex works for you then I can't fault your methods.
But if you've been having problems keeping plants alive,
or if your plants aren't as vigorous as you think they
should be, consider re-potting. Peat breaks down over
time, some say, and most plants should be re-potted at
the beginning of every growing season, or least every
couple of years. Exceptions are plants which seem to
be doing fine, and plants which abhor root disturbance.

Robert